Homesick
"Homesick" was the 1st episode of the 3rd series of Only Fools And Horses, airing on the 10th November 1983 with a viewing figure of 9.4 million. Grandad Trotter has bad legs, or does he? And Rodney Trotter gets fed up of Trigger calling him "Dave". Synopsis Rodney Trotter tends to his elderly Grandad who is laid up in bed with bad legs. Derek "Del Boy" Trotter is going on a date. Rodney is keeping a catalogue of crimes to present to the Tenants Association, and to ask why the police never come near or by, and also about the towerblock lifts which have broken down and need fixing. The only crime Rodney has on the list is a shopping trolley stolen. Del suggests that Rodney notes down how Rita Aldridge was indecently assaulted the other week near the adventure playground. Rodney asks why it took so long for her to report it. Del said she did not know she was indecently assaulted until the blokes cheque bounced. The following day, Rodney goes to the meeting, and sees only Trigger there. Baz is the Chairman. Trigger calls him Dave and Rodney finally asks why Trig calls him Dave when his name is Rodney. It is on his birth certificate and passport and is definitely Rodney. Trig tells Basil to get the meeting started as him and Dave have not got all night. Rodney frustratingly says "Rodney". Baz says the meeting cannot start without a vice chairman and the vice chairman died 2 weeks ago. Trig nominates Rodney. Rodney refuses, and Trig says Del was right, he always said Rodney was too immature to accept responsibility. Rodney then accepts the role and sits next to Baz who resigns and immediately promotes Rodney as chairman. Baz and Trig leave for a pint, leaving Rodney alone in the hall. Rodney then realises the power of his new position but leans back on his chair and falls backwards. Del is selling oranges down the market and Rodney shows up. Rodney has met Margaret Mackenzie, one of the well-known higher-ups of the Tenants Association. Grandad shows up, his legs hurting but he says he will walk home, walk off the pain. That night, Del and Rodney come home to the flat to find all the lights off, and the shopping on the table, still in the bags. They then see Grandad collapsed on the floor, they think he has died but Grandad sits up. Del phones for Dr. Becker. Becker says Grandad needs to get plenty of rest and has exhaustion, walking up 12 flights of stairs. Becker says he will write to the chairman of the Tenants Association, recommending they be moved to a bungalow but Rodney says he is the chairman now. Rodney worries he will exploit his new position so soon for self interest. Grandad gives Rodney a dented silver cigarette case and tells him and Del that it was carried by his own grandfather, Grandad's grandfather in The Boer War. and explains he carried it in his breast pocket, which prevented him from being shot in the heart by a rifle-wielding Zulus. Unfortunately it didn't save his life, instead causing the bullet to ricochet up his nose and blow his brains out. Following a brief conversation, an emotional Rodney decides to phone the council and arrange the move. Margaret Mackenzie comes round and sees Grandad, who is confined to his bed, his legs have made him bed ridden. Del chats her up but makes a fool of himself by thinking Nijinsky was a racehorse, not a Russian ballet dancer. Del says he wants to go and see one of the shows but Margaret says Nijinsky died in 1950, 33 years ago. "Did she"? Del asks, and Maggie explains Nijinsky was a man. Del has made more of a plonker of himself. Margaret agrees to let them have a new bungalow. Once she signs the document, all is set for the Trotters. Del offers to take her for a drink but she says she has to be up early in the morning so another time. She then leaves. Grandad emerges from his bedroom, looking healthy and Del says they have the bungalow. Grandad and Del start dancing around and it is clear to Rodney that Grandad is not ill at all. It was a set up so they could secure a move. Rodney is annoyed but agrees that walking up 12 flights of stairs was hard for Grandad and what with the lifts being broken, Del shushes Rodney, and it is clear Del had the lifts broken down. The doorbell goes. Del answers it and it is Margaret, she has taken up Del's offer for a drink. Del pops his head through the living room door to say he is going out. He gets his coat on. Grandad, not knowing it is Margaret at the door, gives Del his scarf but sees Maggie and says "Oh God". Maggie's cheer turns to annoyance as she sees that Grandad is up and about and walking, yet is supposed to be bed ridden with bad legs. Del claims his bad legs comes and goes, and whispers to Grandad to pretend to collapse but Maggie hears this and says he should not bother. Rodney comes into the hallway with the keys for the van that Del has forgot. Maggie says she is disgusted with all 3 of them. Due to Rodney exploiting his position as Chairman, and trying to blag a bungalow, Margaret reminds Rodney that she assumes he will be resigning, and Rodney says he will resign first thing in the morning. Maggie says she will then save them the inconvenience of moving. She then leaves in a huff, but Del asks if they are still on for the drink. He gets no answer. Cast Main cast *Derek "Del Boy" Trotter - David Jason *Rodney Trotter - Nicholas Lyndhurst *"Grandad" - Lennard Pearce *Trigger - Roger Lloyd Pack Guest cast *Baz - Ron Pember *First Old Lady - Renee Roberts *Second Old Lady - Gilly Flower *Small boy - Miles Rinadli *Dr. Becker - John Bryans *Margaret Mackenzie - Sandra Payne Previous Episode Diamonds Are for Heather Next Episode Healthy Competition Observations *Dr. Becker would be mentioned again in "Thicker than Water", as well as the first episode of the prequel trilogy Rock & Chips. *This is the only episode where Rodney confronts Trigger about calling him Dave instead of his real name Rodney. And this also was the only episode where Trigger called Rodney "Rodney". He said "I'll nominate Rodney" to Basil the council chairman. But old habits died hard, and in later episodes, Trigger was calling Rodney "Dave" again. Blunders *When Grandad is in bed, he tells Del and Rodney that he has never had a garden, but two years earlier, in "The Russians Are Coming" Grandad's allotment is mentioned and also nine years later in "Mother Nature's Son", the Trotters actually go to Grandad's allotment, which would surely count as a garden. *Del tells Dr. Becker over the phone, "You don't know me." But in "Thicker than Water", Rodney claims that Dr. Becker is the family doctor and has been for years (as also mentioned by Joan and Reenie Turpin in the first episode of the Rock and Chips trilogy) - therefore he would know who Del was. *The bed Granddad sleeps in is a single. However, in "If They Could See Us Now", Del explains to a horrified Rodney and Cassandra that Grandad had his first fit in that bed, but the bed in that special was a double. *As Del and Rodney sit at Grandad's bedside, Rodney says, "We could take him to Lourdes." Del replies, completely seriously, "Lords? He doesn't even like cricket." This indicates that Del has never heard of Lourdes. However, in "Christmas Crackers", Del was talking to Rodney about his friend's father being hospitalised and jokingly said, "He wanted to take his old man to Lourdes, but he couldn't afford the fare. The way his luck's been going, he couldn't afford the fare to Leeds let alone Lourdes." Given the context of the joke, this clearly indicates that Del did know about Lourdes prior to this episode. *Grandad says he wanted to be cremated, but he was buried instead in "Strained Relations". *When exactly do Del and Grandad come up with the plan to get the bungalow? The lifts are broken, Grandad's legs are hurting at the beginning of the episode, and he's back on his feet at the end of the episode, so does that mean it was all planned before Rodney went to the meeting? Or does Del come up with the plan after Rodney becomes chairman of the Tenants' Association and Dr. Becker says that the chairman would hold some sway? Either way if it were planned from the start, how would Del know that nobody else except Baz and Trigger turn up at the meeting to vote Rodney as the new chairman? The whole estate was invited. If it weren't planned, why would Del break the lifts if Grandad wasn't well? Plus it is clear that there is nothing wrong with Grandad at the end, yet Trigger is in on it at the start, telling Rodney that he heard Grandad's legs were playing him up. Locations seen *The Trotters flat (living room, Grandad's bedroom, hallway) *Community hall (seating area, stage) *Street market in Peckham Category:Only Fools And Horses Episodes. Category:1983 episodes.